


Max loved pretending

by midnightventstonobody



Category: The Thundermans
Genre: M/M, Max Thunderman - Freeform, Max has a secret, Phoebe Thunderman - Freeform, Phoebe is a good sister, bad parents Barb & Hank Thunderman, unappreciated Max
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-11-02 05:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20635949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightventstonobody/pseuds/midnightventstonobody
Summary: Max loved pretending.No one at home ever noticed Max.It was fun for him, seeing how far he could take a lie.Max loved pretending.Pretending that he had done his chores,Pretending that he was being a good son,Pretending that he was happy,Pretending he was okay.





	1. Max

Max loved pretending.

When he was ten he got to take the subject drama in class. When parent-teacher interviews came around, Max’s drama teacher was the only one to say anything actually nice about him.  
Encouraged by the praise, the ten-year-old begun to work harder and harder on his acting. He spent hours with his twin sister running lines, practising in front of the mirror and reciting his scripts in the shower.

His work paid off when, two years later, he got the lead in the school musical. Max enjoyed ten weeks of rehearsals. His teachers had never seen him so well-behaved in class. Many assumed he was simply tired from all the practises. Little did they know that Max was finally receiving the attention most 12-year-olds were used to. The young actor was simply behaving how he thought appropriate with so many people noticing him.

No one at home ever noticed Max.

Which was why this play was so important to him. For ninety minutes, his entire family would come to see him, and only him on stage doing what he loved.

That was the first time Max saw his dad smile at him. The first time he could feel the pride swell in his chest, and not have it crushed by looking behind him and seeing his sister Pheobe, who was almost always the sole object of his parent’s affection.

Max went to bed that night with a smile on his face. There were voices in his head when he drifted to sleep, voices that sounded oddly like his parents.

_He’s gotten too good at lying, Hank. You know how dangerous that can be with someone- well… someone like him._

_What do we do then? Pull him from drama altogether?_

_I don’t feel safe when we can’t control him Hank._

Max was still coming down from his adrenaline high on Monday, his final show being the previous Saturday night. He was heading to drama, his first and favourite class of the day when a gentle hand around his upper arm stopped him. He turned to see Pheobe, a warm smile shining in her oblivious eyes. She told Max that he was taking history with her now instead of drama.

Max asked his parents why they had switched his subjects that night.

His parents told him to drop it,  
So he did.

Max loved pretending, and he began to do it more and more after he was pulled out of drama. It was fun for him, seeing how far he could take a lie.

Yes, mum, I brushed my teeth.  
No, dad, I didn't break Phoebe's hairbrush.  
Yes, mum, I took out the trash.  
No, dad, I didn't let Colosso out of his cage.  
Yes, mum, I'll be back by ten.  
No, dad, I wasn't with anyone else.  
Yes, mum, I'll be more careful next time.  
No, dad, I don't have a deathwish.

Max loved pretending.  
Pretending that he had done his chores,  
Pretending that he was being a good son,  
Pretending that he was happy,  
Pretending he was okay.

\- x - x -

“Where are your pants?”

The door shut behind him with a soft click as Max entered the house, turning to face his thoroughly confused twin sister.

“Sorry, I didn’t think anyone was up.”

Phoebe watched her bedraggled, pantsless brother amble past her into the kitchen. Despite his exhausted appearance, Max almost seemed to be floating with happiness.

Phoebe hated that this was a foreign side of Max. That she didn’t recognise this emotion right away as happy. Was Max ever happy around them?

“You apologised.”

Max paused, glass of water raised to his mouth.

“Huh?”

“You said sorry. You never say sorry.”

Phoebe’s brow furrowed even more as she watched Max put down his drink and let out a small laugh that, if she dared, could even be described as a giggle.

“Oh… sorry”

Only then did she notice the slight flush on his cheeks and the glint in his eyes.

He wasn’t just happy, she realised.

Phoebe’s twin brother was in love.

“Hey, Max?” Her eyes met his as he gave her an inquisitive look. “Remind me, where were you tonight?”

The short haired teen finished his glass of water and placed it inside the sink, giving Phoebe a lazy grin paired with a wink as he walked past her, exiting the kitchen. She could have sworn she heard another airy giggle, a whisper of laughter which pierced the silent rooms but held no echo. 

Leaning against her kitchen table, Phoebe watched her brother disappear into his lair, a goofy smile present on his lips and a relaxed, gentle light in his eyes. 

For once, Phoebe didn’t care about whatever stupid prank Max had pulled that night, it didn’t matter to her where he had been.

He was happy, and that was already more than Phoebe could have ever hoped for her brother.


	2. Barb

“Was he high?”

Phoebe paused, placing down the orange juice she had been pouring. Her eyes met her mothers across the kitchen bench.

“I’m sorry?”

“Max. You said he came home in a good mood last night. Was he high?” Phoebe stared at her mother, utterly baffled.

“I-no mum!” The older thunderman leaned back, finding Phoebe’s uncharacteristic outburst unpleasant. “He was just… happy.”

With an unsatisfied hum, Barb took the juice container off Phoebe, who shot her a confused look.

“Aren’t you trying to cut down on sugar this month?”

“It’s not for me. I was going to go and give Max something to drink. He hasn’t left his room all day, and I want to make sure he has something.”

“Yeah well, maybe he should go on a diet too, it wouldn’t hurt the boy to lose a few pounds.” Phoebe’s sharp intake of breath broke the silence before it had really started, as mother and daughter held intense eye contact for an immeasurable amount of time. Eventually, Phoebe turned her body to face the fridge, leaning against the counter and displaying her emotionless profile to Barb.

“Max doesn’t need to lose any weight, mom.” Phoebe’s voice was tight, her gaze trained on the floor as she spoke.

“Yeah, well- Hey, sweetie!” Phoebe’s head lifts quickly at her mother's sickly sweet change in tone. She watches Max pause. He takes a deep, exasperated breath before grumbling an incoherent response and heading straight towards the front door.

“Where were you last night, Max? I noticed on the monitor you didn’t come home until the early hours of the morning.” Barb’s tone was clipped, no matter how hard she tried to force the fake smile on her face.

“Nowhere- I mean,” Max turned around to face his mother and twin, glancing absentmindedly around the room. “It doesn’t matter. ”

“I think it does matter, Max.” The boy indiscreetly rolled his eyes as Barb folded her arms and walked back around the counter and out of the kitchen. Her face sported an extremely unimpressed look as she said: “I think it matters very much.”

“No, it doesn’t. I didn’t do anything illegal if that’s what you’re concerned about.” Barb appears affronted.

“_Of_ _course _I’m concerned about you doing something illegal Max! What parent wouldn’t be” Her tense posture, however, seemed to have relaxed slightly at the reassurance that her son had not broken the law.

“Well, yeah.” Max’s gaze stops searching the room and lands on his mother “that’s the only thing you’re concerned about though.” He turns, opens the door and shuts it behind him before Barb could get another word in.

“That boy will be the death of me.” Most days, at this point, Phoebe would just turn away and pretend everything was okay. Most days, she would let her mother get away with complaining about things she had no right to complain about. “I can’t believe how rude he’s been recently! What makes him think he can talk to me like that? Like I don’t care about his well being, I’m his mother for heaven's sake!” Today wasn’t like most days.

“Can you blame him, mom? I can’t even remember the last time you were worried about Max.” Barb’s head whips towards her daughters, the pacing she’d begun prematurely stopping.

“What on earth are you on about Phoebe? I was worried sick when he didn’t come home last night!”

“You and I both know that's not true mom! You didn’t even know he didn’t come home until this morning when you checked the monitor.”

“Yes but I-”

“Which you only did because you wanted to find something he did wrong so that you could punish him for it.”

“Phoebe why would you-”

“Because that’s all you ever do mom! You punish him. Its because you don’t know what else to do with him! He can’t be controlled like me, like Billy and Nora." Barb flinches and opens her mouth to step in, clearly not comfortable with the accusation of controlling her kin. "You hate it, don’t you? You hate that he runs his own life.” Phoebe was breathing hard and shaking the slightest bit, almost as bewildered as her mother with the words which had just left her mouth. The younger of the two would have never said something like that before. She didn’t know what  _ before  _ was exactly, what event had made her suddenly feel the need to stand up for her brother instead of just watching and pretending nothing was wrong like the bystander she’d come to be.

“I’m just looking out for him, Phoebe. Something isn’t right with that boy.” Barb phrased her words very carefully. She had to try, despite her knowing that her daughter wouldn’t believe her.

“For the last time, mom, Max doesn’t need you watching his every move. There is nothing wrong with him.” Phoebe had begun strong, but uncertainty laced her last four words. 

There was nothing wrong with Max.

Sure, he had a few... interesting features.

But he simply didn’t like listening to authority figures.

Or eating meals with his family.

Or joining movie nights.

Or talking to people.

Or smiling.

Was there something wrong with Max?


End file.
